prompt

[prompt]

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prompt ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, prompt·er, prompt·est.

done, performed, delivered, etc., at once or without delay: a prompt reply.

ready in action; quick to act as occasion demands.

quick or alert: prompt to take offense.

punctual.

verb (used with object)

to move or induce to action: What prompted you to say that?

to occasion or incite; inspire: What prompted his resignation?

to assist (a person speaking) by suggesting something to be said.

Theater. to supply (an actor, singer, etc.) from offstage with a missed cue or forgotten line.

verb (used without object)

Theater. to supply forgotten lines, lyrics, or the like to an actor, singer, etc.

noun

Commerce.

a limit of time given for payment for merchandise purchased, the limit being stated on a note of reminder (prompt note).
the contract setting the time limit.

the act of prompting.

something serving to suggest or remind.

Computers. a message or symbol from a computer system to a user, generally appearing on a display screen, requesting more information or indicating that the system is ready for user instructions.

Idioms

take a prompt, (in acting) to move or speak in response to a cue.

Origin of prompt

1300–50; (v.) Middle English < Medieval Latin prōmptāre to incite, Latin: to distribute, frequentative of prōmere to bring out, equivalent to prō- pro-¹ + (e)mere to take, buy; (adj.) late Middle English < Latin promptus ready, prompt, special use of past participle of prōmere

Related formsprompt·ly, adverbprompt·ness, nouno·ver·prompt, adjectiveo·ver·prompt·ly, adverbo·ver·prompt·ness, nounqua·si-prompt, adjectivequa·si-prompt·ly, adverbun·prompt, adjectiveun·prompt·ly, adverbun·prompt·ness, nounun·prompt·ed, adjective

Synonyms for prompt

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR prompt ON THESAURUS.COM

5. urge, spur, instigate, impel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for promptness

readiness, agility, preparation, quickness, punctuality, speed, swiftness, alacrity, dispatch

Examples from the Web for promptness

Contemporary Examples of promptness

It is critical to focus on concrete and implementable options, on a low profile, discretion and promptness.
Kerry Must Hurry
Yossi Beilin
February 6, 2013

Historical Examples of promptness

The vigour and promptness of these measures cannot be too highly extolled.
The Mudfog and Other Sketches
Charles Dickens
His answer came with a promptness that showed he had considered, also, that.
Love-at-Arms
Raphael Sabatini
These were ordered with consummate skill, and executed with promptness and success.
Three Years in the Federal Cavalry
Willard Glazier
One secret of Morgan's success was the promptness with which he struck.
Sir Henry Morgan, Buccaneer
Cyrus Townsend Brady
Perhaps this promptness has never been equalled in Kentucky.
The Mysterious Murder of Pearl Bryan
Unknown

British Dictionary definitions for promptness

prompt

adjective

performed or executed without delay

quick or ready to act or respond

adverb

informal punctually

verb

(tr) to urge (someone to do something)

to remind (an actor, singer, etc) of lines forgotten during a performance

(tr) to refresh the memory of

(tr) to give rise to by suggestionhis affairs will prompt discussion

noun

commerce

the time limit allowed for payment of the debt incurred by purchasing goods or services on credit
the contract specifying this time limit
Also called: prompt notea memorandum sent to a purchaser to remind him of the time limit and the sum due

the act of prompting

anything that serves to remind

an aid to the operator of a computer in the form of a question or statement that appears on the screen showing that the equipment is ready to proceed and indicating the options available

Derived Formspromptly, adverbpromptness, noun

Word Origin for prompt

C15: from Latin promptus evident, from prōmere to produce, from pro- 1 + emere to buy

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for promptness

1520s, from prompt (adj.) + -ness.

prompt

mid-14c., prompten, from Latin promptus, past participle of promere "to bring forth," from pro- "forward" (see pro-) + emere "to take" (see exempt (adj.)). Theatrical sense of "to assist a speaker with lines" is first recorded early 15c. Related: Prompted; prompting.

prompt

early 15c., "readiness," from Latin promptus (see prompt (v.)). Meaning "hint, act of prompting" is from 1590s. Computer sense attested by 1977.

prompt

adj.

early 15c., from Old French prompt and directly from Latin promptus "brought forth," hence "visible, apparent, evident," past participle of promere "to take or bring out or forth" (see prompt (v.)).Related: Promptly; promptitude.